File Photo: Afghan refugees are seen at UNHCR’s Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Peshawar, Pakistan, June 23, 2016.
PHOTO: REUTERS
A report by the UNHCR, 'Global Appeal 2018-19' has highlighted trends in the repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, which has slowed down significantly since 2016.
The report highlighted the need to implement policies conducive for the voluntary repatriation of refugees, and contrasted the approximately 370,000 refugees repatriated from Pakistan in 2016 with only approximately 50,000 which have been repatriated so far in 2017. While the UNHCR predicts a similar rate of repatriation for 2018, it states that the country's parliamentary elections in 2018 can have an unexpected effect on the numbers.
Deng Xijun discusses Pak-Afghan border management with Gen Qamar
The UNHCR report appreciated the Pakistani government's policies concerning the management of refugee populations and the extension of 'proof of residence' cards until the end of the current year. UNHCR also welcomed the programme for refugees launched by the Pakistani government in July 2017 and reiterated the agencies support for implementing it in 2018 as well.
Mention was also made of a 160 member strong contingent of Afghan refugees in Pakistan who visited Afghanistan to raise awareness concerning the measures needed for the peaceful voluntary repatriation of refugees, including those concerning shelter, health and education.
The aid agency also stated that it wished to withdraw from FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018, after ensuring that the local authorities are capable of managing the population of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Pakistan is also one of the country's where the UNHCR will work alongside the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support 'institutional capacity-building' as it is cognizant of the extra strain hosting refugees has placed on the country's institutions.
Gulf still remains on Afghan policy
Highlighting the hosting of over 1.3 million Afghan refugees by Pakistan, the tentative UNHCR country budget for 2018 included $68.6 million for refugee programs in the country (as part of the $99 million overall country budget). However, other recently released UN documents point out that repatriation may have been higher than reported by the UNHCR, as their report only accounted for registered refugees.
Infographic from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsSource: OCHAAn infographic released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed that the number of unregistered migrants repratriated was about 60 per cent higher than the number of registered migrants. This ratio can be observed both in the figures for the year 2017 so far (94,107 vs 57,331), as well as the last week for which data is available, November 5-11 (844 vs 529).
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